Buckle.



LlnexTBNT'El) 00T. 20.1903..

E. J. KRABTZBR..

BUCKLE.

APvBLIoATIoN FILED .TAN.18.,1902.

No nonni. l

I nulllllmlnllll ivo. 741,67*?. I

UNITED STATES atented October 20, 19OH3.

EDWIN J. KRAETZER, OF SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS.

BUCKLE.

'sPEoIFIcA'rIoN 'forming part of Letters Patent No. 741,677, dated october 2o, 1903. Application filed January 18, 1902. Serial No. 903264: (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern: d

Beit known that I, EDWIN J. KEAET'ZE'R, a citizen of the United States, residing at Somerville, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Buckles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in explaining its nature.

The invention relates to an improvement in buckles. It is applicable to any use which involves the bringing together of individual or separate parts which require to 'be detachably united. Y

I will now describe the invention in conjunction with the drawings forming'a part of this specification.

Figure l is a view in plan of a blank from which the active member of the buckle is..

. arctic which they are to unite and with the active member in the position it occupies immediately preceding its engagement with the other member. Fig. 6 is a view of the same parts at the beginning of the engagement of the active member with the other member.

Fig. 7 is a view of the same parts with the engagement partially completed. Fig. 8 isa view of the same parts, showing them in full engagement. parts fully engaged. Fig. IO is a view in perspective of an arctic overshoe provided with the buckle, the members of which are repre sented as engaged.

In the drawings the invention is illustrated as applied to the form of overshoe known as the arctic, to which it is especially applicable. It embraces two members.

A represents the passivemember of my device,which is represented as secured by means of a tongue-loop a. to the portion or side A' of the overshoe, the tongue passing through the slot a in said member and forming a loop by being united to itself or to the shoe side, The member is represented as having a number of retaining-bars a2 and of cross openings or slots a3 between the bars, which slots are Fig. 9 is a view in plan of saidY of a size sufficient to permit the entrance and device, as will hereinafter be shown. B is the other or active member of the buckle, active in the sense that it carries and moves simultaneously with the shank or tongue which engages with the retaining-bars of the pas- Vsive member aforesaid.

The member B has a head h, represented and as preferably made in the shape of a button-top. At one side of the head i's cut the slot b', affording means whereby it may be united by the strap or loop b2 to the side or part B' of the overshoe or other thing requiring fastening. It is necessary that the head nearrits edge be secured by means of a fastening which furnishes a flexible or hinged jointure permitting of the head being turned up or down, and just such a jointure is secured, and economically so, by attaching the head directly to the overshoe by means of the strap or tongue-loop, like as shown. The

hinged jointure is also such as permits of thev head or top being turned, as from a pivotal axis very near to the passive member, which adaptability is of advantage when it is desired to bringthe members into conjunction with one another, aswill hereinafter appear. Projecting forward from the'frontside of the head or button-top near its center as the member is looked at turned up (see Fig. `6) or from the under side of the same as looked at'lin Fig. 8, where the member is shown turned down, is the tongue b3. The tongue b3 isiixed to the head or top and projects from the same outwardly to curve back beneath the same at the point of itshinged jointure, as before referred to, or at .its point of axial turning, and the-tongue is of a lengthto extend beyond said axial point of the head or top andeven some little distance beyond the adjacent edge of the same, or so far that the tongue can be made to engage with any one of the crossbars of the passive member when the head or IOO top is well turned up and even back, as may be seen in Figs. 5 and 6, and which adaptability of the tongue therein shown is primarily made possible by reason of the fact that the pivotal axis of said head or top is near the passive member,as before explained,when the members are brought into conjunction, wherefore the free end of the tongue may extend beyond the pivotal axis of said head a distance greater than the distance from said pivotal axis to said passive member when said pivotal axis is at its minimum distance from said passive member. However the shank or tongue may be xed to the head or top to project therefrom, it is material to the further perfection of my device, as will hereinafter appear, that the shank or tongue be so formed thatits innerengaging surface, or that surface which contacts or wears against the lockingbar of the passive member when the members are hinged into conjunction, lie along its enengaging length substantially the same distance removed from the said pivotal axis of the head or top, even slight changes in the degree of separation beingof material consequence as determining whether the members will be brought into conjunction with an increasing or diminishing degree of drawing stress upon the parts to which the members are secured. As illustrating such capability of the conjoining members dependent upon the formation of the shank or tongue I have shown inthe drawings the tongue so formed along its inner engaging surface d4 that while this surface lies along its engaging length substantially the same distance removed from said pivotal axis of the head it is slightly farther removed from said pivotal point, where the tongue projects from the head or top, than at its end, Where it extends beyond the edge of the same, while both of these points are slightly farther removed from the said head or top at its point of turning than is the said inner surface b4 at intermediate point of the tongues curvature, wherefore the tongue takes the shape substantially as shown, and it is especially to be noted at this point that the position of the head or top at its axial point of turning relatively to the passive member, the feature that the said tongue projects for some little distance beneath and beyond said head at its said point of axial turning, the formation of the tongue and its placement relatively to the head or buttontop at its point of axial turning are all points fundamentally important as tending to the perfection of my device, as will hereinafter appear when the mode of its operation and the manner in which the active member combines with the passive member are described.

I prefer, though this is in no wise necessary, that the shank or tongue project as integral with the head or button-top. When so made, the shank or tongue will be in part formed from a portion of the head or button-top, the head or top being irst formed in the shape of the blank C, (represented in Fig. 1,) which has the side projection c, and the tongue is cut from this blank and :rolled back, leaving the integral jointure, as shown. The opening then left in the head or button-top may be covered, as well as the remainder of the top of the head or button-top, excepting, of course, the attaching-slot, by means of a metallic or other cap or finish applied to the head or button-top in the usual manner of the application of such caps.

The mode of operation of the active member in conjoining with the passive member is as follows: In the first instance the members would have a placement substantially as shown in Fig. 5, the member A would lie passive secured to the part A', while the member B would be turned up in order that it may readily be grasped and held by the thumb and fingers to serve as a draft means fordrawing over or straining the parts to which it is secured. Simultaneously with this movement of the head or button-top the end of the tongue or shank projecting forward from the head or button-top, as before described, is brought to engage with any one of the bars a2 with which it can be drawn over to engage with, and it is especially to be noted at this point that it is by reason of the relative position which the head at its axial point of turning has to the passive member and also on the comparative relative distance the tongue extends beyond said head at its said axial point of turning, whereby its engagement with any one of the bars a2 of the passive member can be obtained when the head or button-top is in the right-angular or even obtuse-angular position indicated, or, in other words, in a position where it cau operate to the best advantage as a lever to still more strain forward the parts to which it is secured by reason of the end of the tongue fulcruming against the bar with which it is in engagement as the head or top is turned forward, as shown in Fig. 6, and it is also to be noted that the arrangement of the parts is such that a considerable degree of leverage strain may be obtained with compara-y tively little power. Continuing, as the head or button-top is pressed forward the tongue by reason of the strain and its inclined posture begins to draw along the bar against which it is fulcrumed and to lock into the slot alongside it, and it is to be noted, as may be seen in Fig. 7, that with such movement of the shank or tongue there is no giving back of the parts, but the forward strain continued and even increased, a result evident from the fact that the intermediate portions of the tongue, which now fulcrum against the'bar, are nearer to the axial point of turning of the head or button-top than the other portions, as before described. From this point as the head or button-top /becomes still further pressed forward and down the draft on the parts begins gradually to decrease or diminish until the head or button-top becomes pressed down flat upon the passive member with the tongue locked in lby the draft against IIO the bar of the passive member, as shown in Fig. 8. The easing up of the drafton' the parts as the tongue becomes locked into place arises by reason of the fact, as before explained, that this portion of the tongue near or at the point o f its projection from the head or button-top is slightly farther removed from the point of its axial turning by reason of the tongues relative placement and curvature at this point and with the very evident result that there would be a correspondingly giving back of draft on the parts. This easing up onthe parts after they have been drawn substantially into place has the especial advan` tage of'preventing a too-close union, which might cause inconvenience. It also acts to advantage in facilitating the starting of unlocking, which of course calls for a reversal of the locking movement of the head or button-top, the said head or button-top being then lifted or picked from its fiat position and turned back, thereby movingl the shank or tongue upward and backward on the lookin gbar until it becomes disengaged from it.

In no way, though, do I desire to limit my invention to where the tongue has the special form of curvature just indicated. Such formation of the tongue has its advantages, as pointed out, and the form is also peculiarly illustrative of the fact, as before referred to, that any slight changes in the tongues degree of curvature relatively to the axial point where the head or top turns lis of material consequence. Still, in so far as the essence of my'invention is concerned, the

tongue might Well be formed so that the partV which engages with the bar of the passive member would be at the same relative distance from the head or button-topat its point of axial turning when Ithere would be no slackening or easing up on the parts as they would combine, or the shank or tongue could be so formed by its curvature as to slightly increase the drawing stress upon the parts during the entire operation of their combination, and this without departing from the spirit of my invention, for, as said before, with the shank or tongue placed as it is it is only a question of degree as to what the exact amount of drawing stress shall be. The shank or tongue is also preferably of such a curve and length and the curvaturevof the passive member is such that when these elements are locked together the tongue will lie close in and against the passive member and its outer end will extend upward to some degree into any slot inf the member which may be in advance of the one through which l[he tongue has been passed, and this serves to reduce the thickness of the buckle and provide a better' finish and bearing upon its under surface against the foot of the wearer.

Having thus fully described my invention,

I claim and desire to secure by Letters P atent ing its free end projecting'beyond the piv- `otal axis of said head a distance greater than the distance from said pivotal axis to said passive memberywhen said pivotal axis is at its minimum distance from said passive member.

2. In a buckle, the combination with a passive member, exibly secured to-one of the parts to be joined, and having a slot with a locking edge, of an active member having a head pivotally secured to the other of the parts to be joined, and a shank or tongue xed to said head, said shank or tongue having its free end projecting beyond the pivotal axis of said head a distance greater than the distance from said pivotal axis to said passive member, ,when said pivotal axis is at its minimum distance from said passive member, and which shank or tongue is so formed that its inner engaging surface along its entire length lies substantially thesame distance removed from said pivotal axis of the f head, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. In a buckle, the combination with a past sive member flexibly secured to one of the parts to be joinedv and having a slot with a locking edge, of an active member having a head or top pivotally secured near one edge to the other of theparts to be joined, and a shank or tongue b3, xed to said head to project from about its center, said shank or tongue hav- Ving its free end projecting beyond the pivotal axis of said head a distance greater than the distance from said pivotal axis to said passive member, when said pivotal axis is at its mini mum distance from said passive member.

4. A member of a buckle comprising a head or button-top and a j ointless drawing-tongue, a portion of which tonguel extends from near the center of the under side 4of the head or top outward and backward to beyond the edge of the button top, the said head and tongue being struck from a single blank piece of metal. f

5. A blank from which the head or buttontop and the drawing-shank of a member of a buckle is made, having a portion which forms the head or 4top and a part of the shank, and

an extension from one edge thereof which forms the remainder of the shank.

EDWIN J. KRAETZER. Witnesses:

F. F. RAYMOND, 2d, J. M. DOLAN.

Ico

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